Raymond Fast
Playwright~Author
Available Plays
Nearly all Raymond Fast's
plays are written with community theatres in mind and are intended to
exploit the often limited resources available to them while making full,
satisfying theatrical productions entirely possible. He considers
playwriting to be a collaborative act. While expecting his scripts to be
adheared to
and his dialogue to be absolutely adheared to, he depends heavily on the creativity and initiative of the director, cast, and crew to explore and discover, finding the play in his script. Most of all, he encourages them to have fun. After all, that's why it's called a "play!"
Click HERE for a printable catalog of Raymond Fast's Completed Plays in PDF format.
A Dickens of a
Holiday
10-minute play
Synopsis: The Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future had left Ebenezer Scrooge a changed man. Now if they'd only leave the man alone - but no! They're back and they're making this Christmas a real dickens of a holiday.
Characters: (1
female, 3 male, 2 ambiguous or undetermined)
SCROOGE: Former stingy old man; now
warm-hearted, happy, and benevolent.
PAST: The Ghost of Christmas Past. A petite
youth with long white hair. Wears a white tunic and a shimmering belt
trimmed with summer flowers.
PRESENT: The Ghost of
Christmas Present. A jolly giant but aged to the point of dementia. Long,
wild, gray hair. Wears a large, loose-fitting robe and a wreath of holly
about his head.
FUTURE: The Ghost of Christmas Yet
to Come. A draped and hooded phantom covered in a heavy black garment.
Tall and stately. He does not speak.
FRED: A young
man; SCROOGE's nephew.
FRED'S WIFE: A young woman
(FRED's wife).
Casting note:
Neither FRED nor FRED'S WIFE
appear on stage. Their voices can be cast using actors cast for PAST,
PRESENT, and/or FUTURE.
Set: A guest bedroom in Victorian London.
Time: Late Christmas night, 1843.
Special Costumes: Victorian attire (SCROOGE); Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
Props/Tech: Period party music, singing; church bells.
Production History: December, 2013 - Norcross, GA.
A Match Made in
Cyberspace
10-minute play
Synopsis: Andy's supposed to get married in ten minutes. His best man objects and his bride is twenty-five hundred miles away, but he's counting on unconditional bonds of love, commitment, and devotion to pull things together - with a little help from the internet, a hot maid of honor, and a senile judge.
Characters: (2
male)
ANDY: A man in his
late twenties; a bit of a geek.
BOB: A man in his late
twenties.
Set: Minimal; Andy's Atlanta apartment.
Time: The present; A Saturday afternoon.
Special Costumes: One tux.
Props/Tech: Minimal; no special effects.
Production History: None.
American
Honeymoon
Full-length play in two acts; run time: about 90 minutes
Synopsis: Crystal and Marcelo's marriage was all business - a plan to get Marcelo his unconditional green card so he could bring his fiancee to America and live out the American dream. Everything was going according to plan - until somebody fell in love. Set in a west Georgia mobile home, American Honeymoon is a romantic comedy with a cast of five and a set that is simple and easily achieved in virtually any theater configuration.
Characters: (2 female, 3 male)
CRYSTAL: A woman of about
thirty. Attractive but no model. Southern girl, but not a hick. A
hairdresser who operates her own shop.
MARCELO: A very attractive man
of about thirty. A Brazilian immigrant. Blue collar guy but with a flair
for style ("metrosexual"). An airport limousine driver.
DIXIE: A vivacious woman of
about fifty. She's been around the block a few times and is always ready
for another trip. Very much a "redneck girl." A waitress at the Hungry
Hashbrown.
CATFISH: A man in his mid twenties. The
quintessential southern redneck. An unemployed roofer.
KENT: A man of at least
thirty-five. Straight laced, all business immigration
officer.
Set: A west Georgia mobile home. Three entrances: SR, USC, SL. Window. Full kitchen.
Time: The present; Summer.
Special Costumes: Airport shuttle service uniform, waitress uniform, clip-on tie, NASCAR t-shirt.
Props/Tech: Simple.
Production History: None.
Bonneville Love
Nominated for the
2012 Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Award for Best New
Work!
Full-length play in two acts;
run time: about 90 minutes
Semifinalist in 2010 Lionheart Theatre Make the House
Roar Script Contest
Finalist in 2010 Southern
Appalachian Repertory Theatre ScriptFEST Script Contest
Polk Street Players' 2011/2012 Audience Favorite
Nominated for 2011/2012 Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre
Award for Best New Work
Synopsis: No matter how bad things may seem, they can always get worse. But love conquers all - if you're clever enough to make it look like an accident. Set in 1967, Bonneville Love is a dark comedy written with tongue in cheek in a style reminiscent of the period, and is appropriate for the entire family.
Characters: (2-4 female, 2-5 male)
LILLY: A woman of around 30.
Ethnic Latina; raised in the American Deep South. Typical 1960's
housewife. Not refined, but a little street smart.
CURTIS: Well educated,
practical, loving husband. Early 30's.
MRS. VAUGHN: Nosy, widowed
neighbor lady. 60's.
DOCTOR SILVERS: Disheveled, eccentric (perhaps
senile?), general practitioner. Jewish. 60's or older.
MAMA: LILLY's Mother. Cuban
immigrant in her Late 50's. Diluted Spanish accent.
PAPI: LILLY's Father. Cuban
immigrant, around 60. Heavy Spanish accent.
DOCTOR GOULD: Warm, personable
general practitioner. 30 or older.
SERGEANT WARNER: Plain-clothes
homicide detective. "Old school;" not known for neatness or tact. 40 or
older.
Casting
notes:
All parts beside
LILLY and
CURTIS could be played by one female
and one male.
Act
II, Scene 6 is set in the present and LILLY has aged accordingly. The part
is written for one actor, however consideration might be given to casting
two, one around 30 years old and the other in her
70's
Set: The living room in a suburban home (two entrances), with brief visits to two doctors' offices and a police detective's office.
Time: Spring, 1967; The present.
Special Costumes: Doctor's smock.
Props/Tech: Simple.
Production History: May, 2012 - Marietta, GA; February, 2015 - Marietta, GA.
Common Ground
10-minute play
Synopsis: When Adam, a homeless man, is befriended by twelve-year-old Savannah, their innocent, unassuming friendship challenges the girl's protective grandmother's perception of others and herself.
Characters: (2 female, 1 male)
SAVANNAH: A 12-year-old
girl.
ADAM: A man in his thirties.
NANA: A fifty-five-year-old
woman
Set: Simple; a back yard in an outlying Atlanta suburb.
Time: The present; summer, late at night.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Simple.
Production History: June, 2010 - Norcross, GA; August, 2011 - Norcross, GA; November, 2013 - White Bear Lake, MN, Norcross, GA, November, 2013 - Roswell, GA.
Family
Tree
10-minute play
Synopsis: When one man learns the truth about his family, he must reconsider what he sees in himself.
Characters: (2 male)
MICHAEL: Male, 42; Methodist
preacher.
DAD: Male, 66; Michael's
father.
Set: Simple; bedroom.
Time: Sunday morning, July 12, 2009.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Simple.
Production History: May, 2014 - Marietta, GA.
Grouse Creek
Hollow
Short one-act play; run time: about 15 minutes
Synopsis: There's a time for everything: a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. But when is it the right time to give up on a seemingly futile battle when doing so means letting go of a legacy?
Characters: (2
female, 1 male)
KASEY: A woman in her
mid-twenties. "Techy." Grew up in West Virginia; lives in greater
Chicago.
GRA'MA: Seventy-year-old
woman. Kasey's grandmother. Lives in West Virginia.
ZACH: A man in his
mid-thirties. Kasey's brother. West Virginia coal miner.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Simple; note: window panes are broken during the play.
Production History: None.
Keyless Entry
10-minute play
Synopsis: Will Andrea's long-awaited reunion with her beloved husband be wrecked by his codependent relationship with their passive-aggressive son?
Characters: (1 female, 2 male)
ANDREA: A woman of around
forty.
VAUGHN: A man in his early-mid fifties.
TODD: A twenty-six-year-old
man
Set: Simple; a funeral parlor shortly after a funeral.
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Simple.
Production History: June, 2011 - Norcross, GA.
Monster
10-minute play
Synopsis: What makes a man a monster? What does a monster see when he looks at himself? Edgar stands accused of murder and must convince the world of his innocence. When the victim takes exception to his plea, Edgar finds himself hard to convince.
Characters: (1 female, 2 male)
EDGAR: A man in his late
fifties with anger issues.
BOY: A seventeen-year-old boy.
Troublemaker. Smug. He's an apparition, a fabrication of EDGAR's own mind;
the "ghost" of the boy EDGAR is charged with killing.
ED: EDGAR's conscience, an
inner voice. Another apparition manifest in the same embodiment with BOY,
but speaks EDGAR's words in EDGAR's character.
RAVEN: A woman of about fifty;
EDGAR's wife.
Casting note:
The
same actor plays BOY and ED simultaneously.
Set: Simple; The visitation cell of a jail.
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: Prison garb (1).
Props/Tech: Simple; note: a fresh tomato is smashed onto an upstage wall during the play.
Production History: October, 2012 - Omaha, NE; May, 2014 - Marietta, GA.
Nobody's
Christmas
10-minute play
Synopsis: When a grieving grandmother's search for the young man who can bring her closure leads her to a homeless shelter, she finds she has as much comfort to offer and she stands to receive.
Characters: (2 female, 2 male)
ALICE: A sixty-five-year-old
woman from New Jersey.
CALEB: A man in his early thirties. Military veteran.
Homeless.
BILLY: A man in his late-forties to early-fifties.
Homeless.
DUSTY: A woman in her late thirties.
Homeless.
Set: Simple; A suburban homeless camp.
Time: The present, late Christmas Eve.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Simple; lighted Christmas tree.
Production History: December, 2013 - Decatur, GA.
Saving Starla
10-minute play
Synopsis: There's always hope, even when we don't know it, even when we don't want it. Starla is ready to end it all when hope arrives at her door in the form of her peeping Tom neighbor, Eddy. She fights him until he leaves, but will hope remain to carry Starla through another day?
Characters: (1 female, 1 male)
STARLA: A woman of around
thirty.
EDDY: A man of around
thirty.
Set: Simple; Starla's nearly empty apartment.
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Minimal; no special effects.
Production History: June, 2008 - Norcross, GA; July, 2011 - New York, NY; June, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA.
Scorned
Nominated for the
2013 Metroploitan Atlanta Theatre Award for Best New
Work!
One-act play; run time: about 55 minutes (Adult Content) - Click HERE for more about Scorned.
Synopsis: Three travelers discover that they may have too much baggage when they find themselves stranded in a mountain wilderness during a relentless winter storm. It's a fight for survival against the elements - and each other. Temperatures drop and tempers rise when what begins as a cold day in hell proves to have no fury like a woman scorned. NOTE: This play can be produced as part of a macabre double feature with "Touched."
Characters: (2 female, 1 male)
RHONDA: Female, around forty.
Experienced emergency room nurse.
JOYCE: Female, two years older
than RHONDA (RHONDA's sister).
CHASE: Male, early-mid
forties. RHONDA's husband.
Set: A dilapidated make-shift shelter on a remote West Virginia mountainside.
Time: The present, during a snowstorm.
Special Costumes: Ski wear.
Props/Tech: Lighting/sound: blizzard.
Production History: September, 2012 - Marietta, GA.
The Scrapbook: A Modern
Christmas Carol
Nominated for the 2011 Metropolitan Atlanta
Theatre Award for Best New
Work!
Full-length play in two acts; run time: about 90 minutes - Click HERE for more about The Scrapbook: A Modern Christmas Carol.
Nominated for 2010/2011 Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Award for Best New Work
Synopsis: You can't buy happiness. Nice thought - until your money's gone. Since Gary's heart attack, he and wife Micki have lost their business, home, and savings. Now Gary thinks their kids and grandkids would be happier not traveling across country to visit them for Christmas. Can the memories awakened by a scrapbook remind Gary that love has no price tag, needs no trappings, and is worth more than anything money can buy?
Characters: (4 adult female, 3 adult male;
2-9+ girls, 2-8+ boys)
GARY: A man in his late fifties.
MICKI: A woman in her late
fifties; GARY's wife.
BROOKE: Girl/woman, appears at ages 7, 9, 11, 13, and
33. GARY's daughter.
DYLAN: Boy/man, appears at ages 9, 11, 13, 15, and
35. GARY's son.
EMILY: Girl/woman, appears at ages 7, 9, 11, 31.
GARY's daughter.
STERLING: Boy/man, appears at ages 7, 9, and 29.
GARY's son.
HEATHER: Woman in her thirties; DYLAN's wife.
MICHELLE: Girl, 13, DYLAN's
daughter.
DJ:
Boy, 11, DYLAN's son.
MANDY: Girl, 9, EMILY's daughter.
SCOTTY: Boy, 7, EMILY's
son.
PARTY GUESTS: Children ages 6 to 16. PARTY GUESTS
have no scripted lines but will join in several Christmas
carols.
Casting note:
Aside from the PARTY GUESTS,
the 17 children's speaking roles can be cast such that as few as four
children (2 boys and 2 girls) are required. Casting suggestions are
included in the script.
Set: The living room in a small apartment in an Atlanta suburb.
Time: December 22, 2010, with flashbacks to Christmases in 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1995.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Special effect: a Christmas tree changes appearance several times.
Production History: December, 2010 - Cartersville, GA.
The Train to Tranquility
10-minute play
Synopsis: We share the same space, but do we live in the same world? There is a place where people all around us live - a place most of us have a difficult time imagining, let alone experiencing. The Train to Tranquility explores that place as two people living in different worlds try to connect.
Characters: (3
female, see casting note)
MIND: Female, 20.
BODY: Female, 20.
STRANGER:
Female, 40 or older.
PUBLIC ADDRESS ONE: Male or
female, recorded voice.
PUBLIC ADDRESS TWO: Male
or Female, live or recorded voice.
TRAVELERS: Any
number, male and/or female, various ages, represent a
crowd.
Casting
note:
TRAVELERS should be of non-specific
appearance such that they come across as much as set pieces as the do
characters. TRAVELERS do not speak.
Set: A train station.
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Recorded voices.
Production History: May, 2014 - Norcross, GA; July, 2014 - Houston, TX.
Therapy
Short one-act play; run time: about 15 minutes
Synopsis: Therapy is always difficult - especially when the ex is involved.
Characters: (1 female, 1 male)
STUART: Man in his 40's.
Physical therapy patient recovering from a broken femur.
TRACY: Woman in her 40's.
Physical therapist; attractive, fit; mountain climber, scuba diver, bungee
jumper, and overall glutton for excitement.
Set: A physical therapy clinic.
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: Physical therapist's smock.
Props/Tech: Mat table, parallel bars, wheel chair.
Production History: January, 2009 - Norcross, GA.
Touched
One-act play; run time: about 40 minutes (Adult Content) - Click HERE for more about Touched.
Synopsis: What's a girl to do when her overbearing parents keep getting in the way of her love life? Candy just wants to live a normal life, but things are never quite right once you're touched. NOTE: This play can be produced as part of a macabre double feature with "Scorned."
Characters: (2 female, 2-3 male)
CANDY: Female, 32 years old.
Adult victim of child abuse (by her father). Cunning, narcissistic,
manipulative, amoral, pathological liar and psychopathic serial killer.
COLIN: Male, early 20's.
Naive. Mama's boy on his own for the first time since his mother's recent
death.
REGINA: Female, mid 50's. CANDY's mother. Pius
passive aggressive in denial of her daughter's abuse, yet latently aware
of the responsibility she shares. Feels guilty and wants to restore her
daughter's childhood; unwilling to accept the fact that it's a bit
late.
WALTER: Male, mid 50's. CANDY's father. Arrogant,
mean spirited, intimidating, short-fused. Abused his daughter; continues
to keep her on a short leash.
STEVE: Male, early 20's.
Victim.
Casting note:
STEVE has no lines and his
face is never seen. STEVE and COLIN can be played by the same
actor.
Set: A basement apartment (4 entrances).
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: Sexy lingerie, handcuffs, and a gimp mask.
Props/Tech: Sound effects: dogs barking, skull being crushed, meat grinder.
Production History: May, 2012 - Atlanta, GA; September, 2012 - Marietta, GA.
Waiting for Leonard
10-minute play
Synopsis: Letting go can be scary. Holding on can be more so. Choosing which to do can be the scariest thing of all.
Characters: (2 female, 2 male)
MILLIE: An eighty-year-old
woman.
LEAH: A woman of around thirty.
JUSTIN: A man of around
thirty.
LEONARD: A twenty-year-old
man.
Set: Minimal; a public park.
Time: The present.
Special Costumes: 1950's military uniform.
Props/Tech: Simple; no special effects.
Production History: June, 2012 - Norcross, GA; May, 2014 - Marietta, GA.
Wild Bears and
Biscuits
10-minute play
Synopsis: Sometimes love can be as frightening as confronting a wild bear. Ruthie, a young widow, finds love again - but is it forbidden love? She tries to avoid it until she's pushed into its path.
Characters: (2 female, 1 male)
RUTHIE: Female, mid-twenties,
from Clarksville, Tennessee.
DEL: Female, about fifty, from
the northern gulf coast of Florida.
BO: Male, mid-twenties, from
the northern gulf coast of Florida.
Set: Simple; dining area in DEL's north Florida home.
Time: The present, evening, during a storm.
Special Costumes: None.
Props/Tech: Simple; sound: thunder.
Production History: None.
Yes Georgia, There Is a Santa
Claus
Synopsis: Georgia insists that the intruder Bobby Subdues in their living room on Christmas Eve is Santa Claus. The tree is trimmed with sex, lies, and mistaken identities in this holiday farce, but in the end, Santa always knows who's been nice and who's been naughty.
Characters: (1
female, 3 male)
BOBBY: A man in his thirties.
GEORGIA: A woman in her
thirties.
SHANE: A man in his thirties.
SANTA: A jolly old elf about
500 years old.
Set: The living room of a blue-collar home in the suburbs northwest of Atlanta.
Time: The present; Christmas eve.
Special Costumes: Santa suit.
Props/Tech: Simple.
Production History: December, 2014 - Marietta, GA.
